Ecobank lists $450M Nature Bond on LSE

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated listed its $450 million Sustainable Agriculture & Natural Capital Bond on the Aquis Stock Exchange, marking the world's first ICMA-designated Nature Bond from a commercial bank. The bond attracted strong investor demand with orders exceeding $1.36 billion, allowing Ecobank to increase the size from $350 million and tighten pricing by 50 basis points. Moody's assigned its highest Sustainability Quality Score (SQS1 Excellent). Proceeds will finance sustainable agriculture, agri-processing, and water projects across 24 African markets, with a focus on biodiversity-priority countries like Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Ghana. The bond is a Tier 2 capital instrument with a 10.25-year tenor, callable after 5.25 years, and will refinance existing 2021 notes. The listing ceremony was attended by senior Ecobank executives including Chairman Papa Madiaw Ndiaye and CEO Jeremy Awori.